When you left the hospital, did you find yourself wishing that the nurses had given you a swaddling lesson? Far too often, new parents may find themselves embarrassed to admit they aren’t sure how to swaddle their baby. I’d been around babies most of my life, but I’d never swaddled one before I had my own.
So if you are expecting a baby or have a brand new little one of your own and you need a lesson in swaddling. Here we go – remember – there’s nothing like practice to make your swaddling perfect. In the meanwhile, here’s a few tips on how to swaddle your baby.
Swaddling 101
Begin by folding down one corner of a square receiving blanket (you probably have these by the dozens, they are a very popular baby shower gift). Lay your baby in the middle of the receiving blanket with their head above the fold.
Now, pull the left side of the blanket snugly across his or her body. Be sure that her right arm is across her chest or it is down by her side. Bring the bottom of the blanket up and over her feet and tuck the tip under the fold right below her neck. Now place the free arm against her side and fold the other end of the blanket over his or her body.
There you go – that’s it. That’s all you have to do to swaddle your baby. This is something that you’ll become pretty proficient at when your baby is a newborn and young infant. Swaddling gives them a sense of security and warmth that they had while in the womb.
When did you first learn to swaddle a baby?